The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-22
A FARMER ANXIOUS ABOUT FREE
TRADE.

A FARMER ANXIOUS ABOUT FREE
TRADE.
To the Editor OF the Appeal
Sir-In THE AFPEAL Of a recent date you say
"Oi i7,392,U9 persons in the United States who
earn their bread as farmcrs, mechanics. clerks and
professional men. only 2G!3,OS0 are employed 10
factories that profit by protection" / copy the
above for the purpose OF asking two or three qucs'
lions.
I. II the tai on imported articles Il reduced TO
an amount only sufficient, TO pay the expenses Of
government economically administered would Il
have a tendency to drive people from pursuits now
receiving protection to other pursuits. say a~gricult
ural pursuits, and make them producers instead
of consumers Of farm %prcducs' II SO, would not
this be an injury to iarmor'
II by a reduction Of the tariff To a revenue stan.
dard, is there a strong probability that the build.
ing Of factories In the southern States would be
checked. aud the people now employed In factories
be driven to agricultural pursuits and become
producers instead Of consumers. II 30. would not
this be- an injury to iarmcui
g. II ior the want OF protection and sufficient
profit n large number Of sugar plantations he
turned into cotton plantations, would not this have
a tendency to reduce the price Of cotton, and
would II not be better for the cotton planter TO pay
n little more for his sugar than 10 have
the price Of his cotton reduced And
II, for the sane reason. the wool growers should
sell Oh their nocks Of sheep, and the land now de.
voted Ia sheep walks and pastures be turned into
wheat fields. would not this very likely reduce the
price Of Nheat. aud would Il not be better for wheat
growers to pay a little moro for their wooden goods
than to have the price Of wheat reduccd1
Task these qIe tions for Information 10 myself
and other iarmrr. AFARNER-
kSSSER.
These questions Of IL esteemed cor
respondent remind MS Of a story, as the
immortal Lincoln would say. A young
man visiting his sweetheart one evening,
to his dismay found hrr in a very hyster-
ical condition, and on asking the reason,
was told that it was al owing TO a dream.
The young lady t9ld her best young
man that she drc3Scd they had been
married and had q baby, and that the
baby was teething and went intoan almost
eomatosa state, out Of which she could not
arouse IL, and. whm was worse, she could
not arouse John, who seemed to be In
league with the seven sleepcrs. While
trying 10 arouse baby and awake John,
she awokc, but she had been in a hys-
tcrical condition ever since. for, as she said
to John, suppose II had been 80.
l.. Answering seriatim, let us say the
troubles that seem to beset "a Farm.
or" have no surcr or nor substantial basis
than those OF the hystcrical young woman.
II "a Farmer" will reflect for a moment
he will remember that all the manufac'
turcn and mechanics are kept busy trying
TO supply the demands Of an increasing
population, which, in spite Of the tariff
| they arr unable TO do. Tho farming clas'
is not and Ia not likely TO be increased be
yond the demands of customers foI
it, products. There is a well un
dcrslood law governing that, Al
everything else in the world.
II sa law growing out Of mems ncccssi
ties. II directs them in channels Of per
sonal well doing anil well being. an,
creates those general averages Of suppl!
and demand that are recognized by al
political economists rs uniailing quantities
Demand regulates the supply. The create
the demand, the greater the supply. TIT
cheaper tho commodity, the more Of !
there Is used. Take the duty or suga
and salt, and Il viii be sold by tina, mucl
cheaper, and farmers can use morc Of boil
and freely.
2. Guided by the unfailing law Q
supply and demand, tho mass OF Incl
easily find their level in trade or labor
They ~ where thero is profit. The OK
captions To this law arr the dead failure
that arr the comparative few.
g. II all the acres OF louisiana and Tcxa
lands given TO sugar were turned TO cottoI
next year the result would not matcriall
affect the cotton products Of tho world
This, too. is regulated by the law Of SUI
ply and demand, and just now the dc
mand Is likely at the end Of the season I
bc grcatcr than the supply by from 200
900 To $4,000 bales. The effect Of III
repeal Of the duty on wool would be I
increase the production Of wooden iabri,
, and increase the demand for carlcr, spin
ncrs, weaycr and dycr, and would con
/ pei our wooden goods manufacturers ,
/, support dire, steamship lines to Auslrali
, aud South America for the woods grown !
those countries, and which aru essential !
: the production Of o n best cloths an
blankets. ~aannels and worteds.
"
, A DEER HUNT ~ THE HIGHLAND,
: A few weeks ago, In the las, days Of n,
! ycmber, the starving people Of the paris
4, tf.ul ~ ~ 49, a